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Saudi says ready to lift female driving ban next month

Saudi Arabia is ready to lift of its female driving ban next month, an official said on Tuesday.

The director general of the General Department of Traffic, Mohammed Al-Bassami, said in a government statement that all the necessary preparations to go ahead with the historic decision were in place

“All the requirements for women in the kingdom to start driving have been established,” he said, according to local media reports.

The announcement indicates the kingdom will be sticking the June 24 deadline specified in last September’s royal decree.

Bassami said women aged 18 years and older would be able to apply for a licence, while those applying for a public driver’s licence must be 20 years old.

Women with foreign licences will be able to convert them at 21 facilities across the kingdom but they will need to take a driving assessment.

“It is no secret that many women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hold driving licenses from abroad,” according to the statement.

The kingdom has established specialised schools across five cities to train female drivers although local media reports have indicated the cost of lessons is significantly more expensive than for men at around SAR2,000-3,000 ($533-800).

Another survey conducted by Uber and Ipsos found 78 per cent of respondents were likely to get a driving licence after the ban was lifted and 31 per cent were interested in driving as an earnings opportunity.